Personal transporters have become increasingly popular and widely used. They are being used in the private and public sectors with broad ranges of applications. They are being used with increasing regularity by public departments, for example by emergency personnel. The most popular example of a personal transporter is made by Segway, Inc. In an emergency, every second counts, and maneuvering through a crowd takes extra time. A personal transporter, with the ability to negotiate tight spaces gets emergency personnel where they need to be and at greater speeds. Riding off of the ground gives emergency personnel the advantage of viewing and assessing the scene much earlier and as they approach.
Current iterations offer little by way of lighting options and sound alert options, leaving the emergency personnel to use voice commands, or use inadequate lighting products to try to gain recognition in a usually hectic environment. Often bystanders and onlookers are so affected by what is happening that they hinder emergency personnel from getting into proper position for action by standing in the way. Because personal transporters move at a much greater speed than a pedestrian walks, and because they can operate at such low sound levels, average pedestrians may not notice the approaching emergency worker.
Personal transporters currently offer little by way of cargo carrying capacity. Many may have standard side bags that limit the size and shape of items that can go inside them. For example, an emergency worker may arrive on the scene of an accident to find that some large oddly shaped item needs to be transported away from the area. The current iteration of personal transporter cargo holds would be limiting in this situation, leaving personnel to either remove the item by hand, bring in a second standard type vehicle, or leave the item where it lies. In a situation where the item is dangerous leaving it where it is may not be an option. Moving it on foot may be too slow and waiting for a second vehicle may also take too long. Additionally, handling of the item may be dangerous and as such placing the item into a side bag may require too much handling.
The prior art is thus characterized by several disadvantages that are addressed by the present disclosure. The present disclosure minimizes, and in some aspects eliminates, the above-mentioned failures, and other problems, by utilizing the methods and structural features described herein.
With the limitations noted above, what is needed is a system that makes personal transporters more usable to emergency and security personnel by providing increased lighting and sound alert options in addition to more effectual cargo handling characteristics. One of the key advantages of a personal transporter is that it has a small footprint and any additions should compliment this minimal footprint. In an emergency situation where cargo should be moved, the addition of a cargo carrying surface would aid service workers in handling odd sized or dangerous materials. A tray configuration may be useful for providing a carrying surface as well as providing a platform for work lighting or signal lighting.
The features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description that follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by the practice of the embodiments without undue experimentation. The features and advantages of the embodiments may be realized and obtained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.